Adobe Illustrator Tutorial #7 -- Working with Layers

Click on image - video will open in new window

This Adobe Illustrator video tutorial is all about using layers to help keep your your artwork manageable.

For the SpongeBob cover illustration, I wanted to keep the hat on a separate level because I knew that the editor at Nickelodeon magazine might move it around to make room for some of the text on the cover. And sure enough, if you look at the finished version, you can see that they did move it.

Original Version

Published Version

We'll take a look at how to use the line tool, and how to reshape the line by using the reshape tool.

Both of these tools come in very handy, even in a freehand illustration like this one.

I also demonstrate my weird white-out technique , which can be very helpful when you have overlapping layers. The process may be a little bit complicated, but it does demonstrate how to use the arrange command to bring drawing elements either forward or backward within the same layer.

I used to use this white-out technique to do all my erasing, but since David de Rooij left a comment on Illustrator tutorial video #4 about how to use the "expand appearance" command along with the erase tool, I won't be using this technique for simple erasing any more.

If you haven't done it already, make sure to download the free Adobe illustrator cartoon inking template that I'm using throughout these Adobe Illustrator inking tutorial videos. You can download that digital inking template at:

http://cartoonsnap.com/template/

-----

...and here's a smaller version of today's video if you're having trouble viewing the larger version at the top of this post:

In case you missed them,
here are links to the first six
Adobe Illustrator Inking tutorial videos:

#1 - Setting Up and Importing Images
#2 - Palette Options and settings
#3 - Freehand Calligraphic BRUSH Tool
#4 We Start INKING in Illustrator!
#5 - Ellipse Shape Tools

#6 - Graphic Styles and Grouping